Today is my birthday, and I'm celebrating the big 4-0! 🎉 For many, this milestone means being "over the hill," but honestly, I've never felt better (outside of being annoyed at the amount of gray hair and the cost of hiding it lol).
At 40, I am the happiest, healthiest, and most fulfilled I've ever been, and damn it feels really
good. ❤️ In honor of my day, I want to share with you some of the top lessons and guiding principles that have shaped my life. These lessons have not only made a huge impact on my life and the person I am, but have also been instrumental in helping my clients on their journeys toward optimal health as well!
So let's dive in to 25 life lessons (because I know you all don't have the patience for 40 🤣)...
25 Life Lessons in 40 years
1. The best and most important relationship you can have with anyone is the relationship with yourself. It sets the precedence of every other relationship in your life.
2. Be kind always. Even when you don’t want to.
3. Everyone has a very distinct charge-positive or negative. What is your charge? What type of energy do you put off? Be a positive charge and surround yourself with more of the same.
4. Bad things happen to good people. This has been one of the most difficult things for me to accept in my life but in accepting this I think we can find a bit of peace so we don’t fight to try and make sense of it.
5. Don’t be a victim. Your current circumstances might not be your fault, but your future is 100% up to you. Don’t sit in shit. You have the power to make things better for yourself.
6. Believing in a higher power and having a relationship with God stemming from my own beliefs and desires and working to grow that relationship daily is THE BEST thing I have ever done for myself.
7. Talking is easy. Listening is hard. Develop your listening skills. You don’t grow when you are talking. One of my most cherished life skills that I continue to develop is my ability to listen and connect with people. We can learn a lot about ourselves AND others if we can learn to be quiet, ask better questions, and actually focus on what someone is saying.
8. Share your happiness and your joy. If someone doesn’t want to hear it they may need to work on #3 and you may need to work on who you are surrounding yourself with. The world needs more positive energy. Let that shit out!
9. Accept that not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever. As you grow, you SHOULD let go of relationships that no longer align with who you’re working to be. This opens space for new growth. This goes back to #1, if you are your own hype person, you will feel more confident letting go.
10. Don’t complain so much. It’s human nature, we all do it. Work to do it LESS. See #7 Research from Stanford University shows that complaining can physically damage the brain by shrinking the hippocampus, which is crucial for problem-solving and cognitive functioning.
11. Be kind to your body. You only get one on this earth. Treat it well NOW, regret can be a tough teacher.
12. Imperfection is beautiful. Embrace it. The more we can love ourselves and all of our imperfections the more we will be able to love others and ultimately the happier we’ll be.
13. I’m very confident you can live an amazing life if you practice two things daily: Gratitude and Perspective. It’s worked for me so far.
14. There is never a “right time” to make a change. Yesterday was the best day and our second best option is now. Today. There will always be things that get in the way.
15. Laugh more. Not “lol”. The real thing! Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, which can help reduce feelings of pain and improve mood.
16. Comparison is the thief of joy. One of my favorite mantras. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle. Don’t compare yourself to someone because it will only bring discontentment and you don’t know the whole story.
17. If you can build one skill in your life that will have a positive effect on basically every area of your life, let it be discipline. Build more discipline. Motivation will come and go but if you are disciplined you get things done even when you are not motivated.
18. Nobody really knows what they are doing. We’re all still trying to figure “it” out. Keep that in mind next time you get frustrated with yourself or someone else.
19. Don’t pick up your phone or turn to a screen first thing in the morning. Check in with yourself. Remind yourself how short life actually is and that you were given this day and you’re not guaranteed another. Ask yourself what you need today and focus on what you’re grateful for. It makes checking social media, your email, or the news seem completely ridiculous. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow-what would be important? Live more in alignment with those things.
20. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Good enough is good enough. Perfection shouldn’t be the goal.
21. Appreciate the beauty in the small and seemingly mundane. By looking for and being grateful for these small joys, we’ll be more content with the day to day. (mine is that first sip of coffee in the morning or the LONG hug from Harper where she doesn’t let go.) Small…yet, so, SO big.
22. I’ve never subscribed to “practice makes perfect”. Practice makes PROGRESS and that’s what we should truly be after anyway…
23. Many times when we have a big problem in life, all we need to do is zoom out. Commit to a broader perspective and you’ll find the answer to be a lot clearer.
24. Mindset shift: Life is happening FOR you, not TO you.
25. 6 underrated life blessings: time, health, a quiet mind, unhurried moments, meaningful work, and a house full of love.
So, here's to 40 years of lessons learned, laughter shared, and love given.
I'm incredibly grateful for every experience that has brought me to this moment, and I'm excited to embrace all that the future holds. I truly hope these 25 little nuggets of wisdom have offered you some perspective, perhaps a new way of looking at things, or even just a little nudge in the right direction. Thank you for being part of my journey!
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